Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Proposition 8 in California which will amend the State Constitution to deny the rights of gay citizens to marry, transfer property without taxation, inherit, and even visit in the hospital is close. Too close to call. When I crashed last night the count was narrowing from 54% yes to 46% no. All through the night the gap has been narrowing. Slowly, and steadily.

There's still hope.There's still hope.

I wrote to my cousin, the brilliant attorney and his husband (they were married here in June) that even with a defeat, a close defeat like this shows that we have come a long way in a short time. The measure that was overturned by the State Supreme Court in May passed by a whopping 23%. Today, it's too close to call. My cousin's marriage is real. His partner, husband, lover, best friend, and he have been together since college. His husband left offers from "white shoe" law firms to move to the rez with my cousin. They are good people. They, with their long term, committed, faithful, loving relationship are much less a threat to the institution of marriage than I have been with my four shabby divorces and history of drunken, stoned infidelities.

We will win this fight. If it is a longer fight, that's OK. I was bred to the fight like a bird dog. We will win. We will win because we are in the right.

Take a moment, if you will, and check out my buddy jurassic pork's pean to President Barack Obama (I don't think I'll ever get tired of saying and typing that).

Officials from the "No on 8" campaign told reporters Wednesday that they are not willing to throw in the towel in the fight against California's gay marriage ban. They said 3 million absentee and provisional ballots have yet to be counted in California.

As of Wednesday morning with nearly all precincts reporting, Proposition 8 was headed toward passage with a lead of about 400,000 votes.

The California Secretary of State's office is expected to have a final tally of all votes later today or Thursday.